Youre a woman?
In a breathless whisper, she said, You just now noticed that? Could you let me breathe?
Shocked, he shifted his weight to allow her to take breath into her lungs. This was the cat burglar?
She freed one arm and wiped away the powdery snow from her eyes as she whispered something else.
He cut his eyes to her, suddenly worried that he had injured her when hed taken her down. She motioned for him to lean closer. He bent down.
Her free hand cupped the back of his neck, pulling him down into a kiss before he could stop her. Suddenly her lips were on his, her mouth parting as if they were lovers
Reunion at
Cardwell Ranch
B.J. Daniels
www.millsandboon.co.uk
B.J. DANIELS is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author. She wrote her first book after a career as an award-winning newspaper journalist and the publication of thirty-seven short stories. She lives in Montana with her husband, Parker and three springer spaniels. When not writing, she quilts, boats and plays tennis. Contact her at www.bjdaniels.com, on Facebook or on Twitter, @bjdanielsauthor.
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There are books that seem to write themselves. And there are books that try to kill me. This one drove me crazy. But thanks to an escape to the Bahamas with people I love, I was able to finish the book. This one is for Danielle, Travis, Stelly, Leslie and, always, Parker. Your faith in me keeps me going.
Contents
Cover
Introduction
Title Page
About the Author
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Extract
Copyright
Chapter One
The moment shed stepped into the dark house, she could feel the emptiness surround her like a void. The owners wouldnt be coming to Montana for Christmas this year. The couple was getting a divorce. The mans third marriage, the womans first.
Shed gotten her information from a good source, but shed learned, though, that you can never be certain of anything, especially the rumors that ran more wildly than the river ran through the Gallatin Canyon past Big Sky.
Standing stone still in the dark, listening, she waited for a few moments before she snapped on her tiny penlight. There were no other homes close to this one. The owners of these expensive spacious second homes wanted to feel as if they had the mountainside to themselves. Because of that there was little to no chance that anyone would notice if she turned on lights. But she didnt like playing against the odds when it came to the chance of being discovered.
As she moved through the house, she saw sculptures that she knew had cost a small fortune and paintings like some shed sat for hours studying in museums back East. She hurried on past them, reminded that time was never on her side. In and out as quickly as possible was her personal motto. Otherwise she knew all too well things could go very badly.
She found the painting in the master bedroom on the third floor. A twenty-by-sixteen-inch signed Taylor West original depicting a rancher on horseback surveying his herd. It was one of her favorites. She stepped to it quickly, admiring the brushstrokes and the skillful use of shading as she let the penlight move over it until she found what she was looking for.
Lifting it off the wall, she checked the time. She was running a little over five minutes on this job because of the three stories shed had to search for this piece.
Quickly she replaced the painting with the one shed brought, noticing that the bag shed carried it in had torn. Wadding up the bag, she stuffed it into her coat pocket and tucked the painting from the wall under her arm.
She made her way back through the house, pleased. If only they were all as easy as this one. Shed barely completed the thought when a set of headlights washed over the room.
* * *
LARAMIE CARDWELL MENTALLY kicked himself for driving up this snow-packed narrow mountain road in the dark. But according to his sister-in-law, and the real-estate agent for the property, if he wanted a house in the Big Sky area, he had to jump on it the moment it became available.
Why would you want to buy a house up here when you can stay in one of our guesthouses on the ranch whenever you come? his cousin Dana Cardwell Savage had argued.
While he appreciated her hospitality at Cardwell Ranch, as much time as he found himself spending in Montana, he wanted a place of his own. It had been family that had brought his brothers back to Montana. But it was loveand barbecuethat had them staying.
He often marveled that it had all started with barbecuethe one thing all five brothers knew. Theyd opened a small barbecue joint outside of Houston. Surprisingly, it had taken off and theyd opened others, turning a backyard barbecue into a multimillion-dollar business. It had been his brother Tanner Tag Cardwell whod first come up with the idea of opening their first Texas Boys Barbecue restaurant in Montana in Big Sky.
While some of them had balked at the idea, it had proved to be a good one. Now his brothers were talking about opening others in the state. His four brothers had all returned to their Montana roots, but Laramie was a Texas boy who told himself that he had no desire to live in this wild countryat least not full-time.
With his entire family here now, he wanted his own place, and he could darn sure afford a second home. Though he suspected the one he was on his way to check out would be too large for what he needed.
But there was one way to find out. He figured hed get a look at the house from the outside. If it wasnt what he wanted, then he wouldnt waste his sister-in-law McKenzies time looking at the interior.
As he topped a small rise in the road, a moonlit Lone Mountain, the peak that dominated Big Sky, appeared from behind a cloud, making him catch his breath. Hed seen the view numerous times on his other visits to the area, but it still captivated him.
He had to admit this part of Montana was spectacular, although he wasnt so sure about staying up here for the winter. While the snow was awe inspiring in its beauty, he still wasnt used to the bracing cold up here.
You wouldnt mind it if you had someone to cuddle with at night, his brother Tag had joked. All four of his brothers had fallen in love in Montanaand with Montanaand now had wives to snuggle up to on these cold winter nights.
I only want a house up here, Laramie had said. I can kick up the heat when I spend time here during the holidays.
As he topped the rise in the road, his headlights caught on a three-story house set against the mountainside. Laramie let up on the gas, captivated by the design of the house and the way it seemed to belong on the side of the mountain in the pines.
Thats when he spotted the dark figure running along the roofline of the attached garage.
Chapter Two
Laramie remembered hearing that an alleged cat burglar had been seen in Big Sky, but so far the thief hadnt gotten away with anything.
Until now.
Slamming on the brakes, he threw open the door of his rented SUV, leaped out and took off running. It crossed his mind that the robber might be armed and dangerous. But all he could think about was catching the thief.
The freezing snowy night air made his lungs ache. Even though hed been the business end of Texas Boys Barbecue, hed stayed in shape. But he felt the high altitude quicken his breathing and reminded himself he wasnt in Houston anymore.
The dark figure had reached the end of the roofline and now leaped down as agile as any cat hed ever seen. The thief was dressed in all black including a mask that hid his face. He was carrying what appeared to be a painting.
Laramie tackled the burglar, instantly recognizing his physical advantage. The burglar let out a breath as they hit the ground. The painting skidded across the snow.
Rolling over on top of the thief, Laramie held him down with his weight as he fumbled for his cell phone. The slightly built burglar wriggled under him in the deep snow.
Hold still, he ordered as he finally got his cell phone out and with freezing fingers began to call his cousins husband, Marshal Hud Savage.
Youre crushing me.
At the burglars distinctly female voice, Laramie froze. His gaze cut from the phone to the burglars eyesthe only exposed part of her face other than her mouth. The eyes were a pale blue in the snowy starlight. Youre a...woman?
In a breathless whisper, she said, You just now noticed that? Could you let me breathe?
Shocked, he shifted his weight to allow her to take breath into her lungs. This was the cat burglar?
She freed one arm and wiped away the powdery snow from her eyes as she whispered something else.
He cut his eyes to her, suddenly worried that he had injured her when hed taken her down. She motioned for him to lean closer. He bent down.
Her free hand cupped the back of his neck, pulling him down into a kiss before he could stop her. Suddenly her lips were on his, her mouth parting as if they were lovers.
The next thing he knew he was lying on his back in the snow looking up at the stars as the cat burglar took off. Her escape had been as much of a surprise as the kiss. He quickly sat up. Hed lost his cell phone and his Stetson. Both had fallen into the snow. He plucked them up as he lumbered to his feet. But by then she was already dropping over the side of the ridge.
He took off after her, but he had gone only a few yards when he heard the roar of a snowmobile engine.
Scrambling after her, he turned the corner of the house in time to see the snowmobile roar off through the snow-heavy pines and disappear. He listened to her get away, feeling like a fool. Hed let her trick him.
Shed taken advantage of his surprise and the extra space hed given her to breathe. She was a lot stronger and more agile than she had appeared and she had a weaponthose lips. He groaned when he thought about the kissand its effects on him.
As he turned back, he saw a corner of the painting sticking up out of the snow. Laramie trudged to where it had landed. The only good news was that she hadnt gotten away with the painting.
Surprisingly the frame was still intact. He carefully brushed away the snow, thinking about the woman whod gotten away. Hed known his share of women in his life. A few had tempted him, a couple had played havoc with his heart and several had taken him for a ride.
However, none of them had tricked him like this. He could well imagine what his brothers would say.
But would he be able to recognize her if he ever saw her again? Shed never spoken above a whisper and he hadnt gotten a chance to remove her ski mask before shed dumped him in the snow.
Those eyes. Those lips. He told himself if he ever saw either again, damn straight hed recognize her.
She thought she was smarter than he. She thought shed gotten away. But he had the painting. And he would find herif she didnt find him first, he thought, glancing at the painting in the moonlight.